Softball Concludes Season With Two LossesYeowomen Improve Over Second Half
of the Season
BY ZACHARY PRETZER

The Oberlin softball team hosted North Coast Athletic Conference opponent
Denison University in a doubleheader last Saturday in hopes of continuing
their hot hitting, but failed to string hits together and lost both
games, 10-2 and 13-1, to finish their season with a record of 1-20.

(photo by Hans Peterson)

In the first game against the Big Red,
the Yeowomen only managed to muster one hit, as Denison pitcher Courtney
Zollars went five innings, striking out seven Oberlin hitters and walking
none. Sophomore shortstop Maria Balducci provided the Yeowomen’s lone
hit, a single in the fourth inning. Balducci scored later in the inning
on a ball that first-year outfielder Anna Gardner-Andrews hit back to
the pitcher, who then threw the ball away behind the first baseman.
Junior Dawn Sweeney started the game for Oberlin from the mound, yielding
13 hits and 11 earned runs in five innings of work.

The second game proved better offensively for the Yeowomen, as the team
compiled six hits and a walk, but only managed to bring two runners
home during the 10-2 loss.

The top-of-the-order-tandem of Balducci and sophomore third baseman
Amy Golladay combined for four hits, and seniors Heather Barbee and
Sarah Breon both chipped in a hit apiece. Breon drove in one of Oberlin’s
runs in the second inning by driving a single up the middle, and first-year
catcher Jessica Marish knocked in the Yeowomen’s other run, hitting
a grounder to the second baseman in the fifth.

Sweeney again pitched for Oberlin, and threw much better from the mound
in the nightcap. The junior hurler struck out two batters and walked
one and only gave up five earned runs. Five of Denison’s runs came due
to errors by the Yeowomen defense.
Despite their record, Oberlin showed a vast amount of improvement over
the latter half of the season, and although they only won one game,
they were in contention to win quite a few other contests. In addition,
the Yeowomen will return a majority of their starting players next season,
and are expected to bring in a solid first-year class.

For the season, Balducci led the team in batting with a .321 average,
while also leading the team with nine runs scored and nine walks. Golladay
also scored nine runs during the year, tying Balducci for the team lead,
and was second in batting average, hitting .310. Sweeney was third on
the team with a .283 average, and led the team with four doubles and
a triple.

The two seniors on the team, Breon and Barbee, were the fourth and fifth-leading
hitters on the team with averages of .245 and .244, respectively. Barbee
led the team with seven runs batted in, and Breon also knocked in five
runs for the Yeowomen.

From the mound, Sweeney finished the season with a team-leading 15 appearances
and 12 complete games, throwing 77 innings and striking out 28 batters.
Barbee threw the majority of the remaining innings for Oberlin, totaling
32 innings and 11 strikeouts.